


anchorage

by surexit



Category: The Charioteer - Mary Renault
Genre: Kissing, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-05-02
Updated: 2013-05-02
Packaged: 2017-12-10 05:19:54
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 539
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/782272
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/surexit/pseuds/surexit
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Ralph and Laurie kiss.</p>
            </blockquote>





	anchorage

**Author's Note:**

  * For [havisham](https://archiveofourown.org/users/havisham/gifts).



“All right, Spud?” Ralph said, as he sat down. The aged sofa bowed, and Laurie let the movement of the cushions tilt him, so that he was leaning against Ralph’s shoulder. He didn’t look up from his book. He’d left his university reading too late again, as he always did when he spent the weekend with Ralph.

“Mmm,” he said. “Thanks for the meal.”

“Not much,” Ralph said, shifting so that Laurie could lean more comfortably. Laurie slumped into the line of Ralph’s body. “Much more to read?”

“A chapter.” Laurie tilted his head back against the hollow of Ralph’s shoulder.

“All right,” Ralph said, and reached to pick up a newspaper.

Laurie turned the pages in comfortable silence, feeling the very slight rise and fall of Ralph’s chest against his side and hearing the rustles as Ralph read. He’d never really known that this could happen with two men, that after he and Ralph had known each other for a year or two there would be this level of physical ease between them. Not as a precursor to anything, or in the wake of anything, merely a simple animal pleasure gained from body heat and closeness, untainted. 

“Finished,” he said when he’d turned the final page, and put the book down and extended his legs, stretching out the slight ache in his bad one. He heard Ralph put the newspaper down.

“Come over here a bit, Spud,” Ralph said, and tapped Laurie’s shoulder until Laurie turned. “I’m sorry you’re going back tomorrow.”

“Yes,” Laurie said simply, and leaned forwards to press his lips to Ralph’s. It was not the most comfortable, Laurie’s torso twisted, but after a moment or two Ralph fixed things, pulling away and pushing Laurie back into the sofa cushions.

“Just a minute,” he said, and he straddled Laurie’s legs, careful not to rest too much of his weight on them. 

“Better,” Laurie said contentedly, and reached for him again. This was another thing that he had never expected, that this could happen so easily. Their mouths brushed together and Ralph braced his whole hand on the back of the sofa, behind Laurie’s head. The other, ungloved, touched Laurie’s cheek. Laurie turned his head away from Ralph’s mouth and kissed the half-hand. It made Ralph’s breath stumble, as the gesture always did, and Laurie turned away from the hand, as he always did.

They sat there for an age, a haze of pleasure and smiles and soft, muttered words, until Laurie said, “My leg’s getting stiff.”

Ralph laughed and said, “Mine too, actually. Too old for this kind of thing.”

“Don’t be ridiculous,” Laurie said, smiling up at him fondly and smoothing a hand down one of the strong thighs poised above his own. “Not nearly.”

“If you say so, Spuddy.” Lines of amusement crinkled around Ralph’s eyes. “Older than I was.”

“We both are. No bad thing.” Laurie leaned up, brushed his lips against Ralph’s one last time, and said, “Come on then, off. I need to stretch.”

“Want a rub? Of the leg, I mean,” Ralph added, as he caught the arch look on Laurie’s face. “Don’t be awful, Spud.”

“Don’t know what you mean,” Laurie said. “Yes, please.”

“All right then, Spud.”


End file.
